Andalucia

Andalusia (Spanish: Andaluc√É¬≠a) is an autonomous community of Spain. Andalusia is the most populated and second largest of the seventeen autonomous communities that constitute Spain. Its capital is Seville.Andalusia is bounded on the north by Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha; on the east by Murcia and the Mediterranean Sea; on the west by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean (south-west); on the south by the Mediterranean Sea (south-east) and the Atlantic Ocean (south-west) linked by the Strait of Gibraltar at the very south which separates Spain from Morocco. The British colony of Gibraltar at the south shares its three-quarter-mile land border with the Andalusian province of C√É¬°diz.

History

The name Andalusia is derived from the Arabic name "Al Andalus", which refers to the parts of the Iberian peninsula which were under Muslim rule. The Islamic history of Muslim Spain can be found in the entry al-Andalus. Tartessos, the capital of a once great and powerful Tartessian Civilization, was located in Andalusia, and was known in the Bible by the name of Tarshish. More information about this region can be found in the entry Hispania Baetica, the name of the Roman province that corresponds to the region.Andalusian culture has been deeply marked by the eight centuries of Muslim rule over the region, which ended in 1492 with the reconquest of Granada by the Catholic monarchs.The Spanish spoken in the Americas is largely descended from the Andalusian dialect of Spanish due to the role played by Seville as the gateway to Spain's American territories in the 16th and 17th centuries.Andalusia is known for its Moorish architecture. Famous monuments include the Alhambra in Granada, the Mezquita in C√É¬≥rdoba, the Torre del Oro and Giralda towers in Seville, and the Reales Alc√É¬°zares in Seville. Archaeological remains include Medina Azahara, near C√É¬≥rdoba and It√É¬°lica, near Seville and Huelva port of the America discoveryAndalusian cuisine is known for its use of fish and shellfish, its desserts, and its world-famous sherry.Andalusia is divided into eight provinces named after the capital cities of these provinces: